


Forgetting Marie Marshall

by imawarlock



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: A little crack-y? maybe?, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Bottom Erwin Smith, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-21
Updated: 2015-06-21
Packaged: 2018-04-05 12:49:23
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,795
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4180446
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/imawarlock/pseuds/imawarlock
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>For Bottom Erwin Week, Day One: Vacation.</p>
<p>Erwin gazed at Levi, until suddenly he looked behind him and his eyes widened in alarm.</p>
<p>“What?” Levi said, looking over his shoulder to glimpse a man and a woman seating themselves a few tables away.</p>
<p>They were obviously a couple, and thinking about it, Levi didn’t remember seeing them in here until now. The man was plain and scraggly looking but the woman was stunningly beautiful, and after a second his eyebrows raised because she looked awfully familiar.</p>
<p>“That’s Marie Marshall.” He said, turning back around. </p>
<p>She was a celebrity, an actress that had famously played a bartender on some TV show Levi didn’t watch. He assumed that’s why Erwin was looking so surprised, but all he did at Levi’s words was look more upset. </p>
<p>“She’s my ex.” Erwin whispered, and Levi’s eyebrows raised so high they disappeared underneath his bangs.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Forgetting Marie Marshall

**Author's Note:**

> This is a silly idea I had a while ago that I realized was similar to the movie Forgetting Sarah Marshall, so I just ran with it. Written very hastily for BE week, so thank you for reading!

Another week, another cruise.

That was what Levi thought as he packed his things, preparing for his next seabound, all-inclusive trip to relaxation and paradise.

If only, he thought, he was the one that actually got to experience it.

He would be a passenger on the ship, yes, but as an employee only. He worked for a cruise line as a waiter, serving the same guests every breakfast, lunch, and dinner for the week that were assigned to his section. It wasn’t too bad of a job, really, it just got old having to watch everyone have fun on vacation while he barely even got a thirty minute break each day.

That meant that by the end of each cruise he was always running out of patience for his guests, and unfortunately, sometimes he was pushed into not having that much to begin with.

This trip was going to be one of those times, he could tell, when on the first night a new guest stumbled in thirty minutes late for dinner already drunk off his ass wearing a swimsuit and a rumpled t-shirt. Dinner was supposed to be formal, how the fuck had he even gotten in?

“Welcome to the dining room.” Levi told him anyway, reciting the standard, required greeting with a blank face. “My name is Levi, and I’ll be serving you this week. Each meal consists of three courses: an appetizer, an entree, and a dessert, and you have four options to choose from for each. Here’s your menu.”

“Can I buy you a drink?” The guest - a blonde man who looked to be in his late 30’s - slurred in response, completely ignoring the menu Levi was trying to hand to him.

Fighting back a sigh at his words and the urge to roll his eyes, Levi instead blinked impassively down at him.

“No, sir, I’m your waiter. Please review the menu and let me know which entree you’d like to start with. You’re late, so the appetizers are already gone. I’ll be back in a few minutes to take your order.”

Levi set the menu down on the guy’s table, watching him squint drunkenly at it for a moment. When he walked away, though, he felt his eyes on his back, and clenched his jaw in an effort to stay calm.

This wasn’t the first time some wasted asshole had hit on him, of course, but it was the first time it had happened on the day of departure, and already the thought of having to deal with this guy for an entire fucking week was making him irritated. It didn’t get any better when he went back to his table, and found the guy sipping from another cocktail he’d somehow procured on his own.

“Have you decided on an entree, sir?” Levi asked, praying that he would just pick something and that would be it.

“Is there one we can share?” The guy said, looking up at him with what he probably thought was a smooth look. “I’d really like to get to know you better, kitten.”

Levi closed his eyes and counted to ten.

“The steak then?” He said through gritted teeth, picking up his menu. “We’ll have it right out.”

The guy blinked at him but didn’t say anything, and was luckily too distracted by his food to hit on him again when Levi brought it out. Dessert was a different story, though, because when asked to choose between cake, ice cream, pie, or a cookie, he decided to inquire whether Levi’s ‘adorable ass’ was on the menu.

“Look, shithead.” Levi blurted then, unable to hold his tongue any longer. “I’m not interested in you, so get it through your thick skull. I have to be your waiter for the entire week, so either you stop hitting on me and make the rest of it as painless as possible, or I make sure you can’t get any fucking food anywhere else on this ship. Got it?”

The guy’s eyes widened at Levi’s outburst, but he didn’t argue with him. Instead, he ordered a cookie and wisely, a glass of water, and then passed out on top of his table before Levi could bring it out to him. When he did though, he just shook his head, setting the plate and drink down before wandering off to find one of the bellhops to drag his ass off. Levi was glad the encounter was over, but unfortunately, he probably had about 18 more to go with the bastard.

Sure enough, he was back the next morning - on time for breakfast and sober, but unsurprisingly looking like he was experiencing a horrible, aching hangover. He was wearing sunglasses inside, and winced when Levi brought him a glass of orange juice and banged it down hard onto the table.

Afterward, he handed him the menu silently, and once he’d looked at it for a moment he cleared his throat, taking off his sunglasses to squint up at Levi sheepishly with bloodshot blue eyes.

“Before I order, I just want to say I’m sorry if I….said anything to you out of line last night. I can’t remember much, but I feel like I did something to piss you off.”

“You asked me if my ass was on the menu.” Levi said with a scowl, because he didn’t give a shit if the man was embarrassed now. In fact, the cringe that crossed his face actually made him feel marginally better. “And if you could buy me a drink, and if we could share dinner. You called me kitten. I’m your waiter, not your date.”

“I know. That was very rude of me, and as I said, I apologize profusely. I was drunk, but that’s no excuse. It won’t happen again.”

Levi cocked his head at that. Apparently, this guy was determined to be a lot of Levi’s firsts. He’d been the first to hit on him the first night, and now he was the first to apologize to him so thoroughly. It almost made him forget about how humiliated and uncomfortable he’d felt the night before. Almost.

“Have you picked an appetizer?” He said after giving the man a single nod, speaking in a slightly less accusatory tone.

“Yes. I’ll have the fruit platter. And a very large glass of water, if you don’t mind. Thank you.”

The rest of breakfast went smoothly, with the man now being as polite as he could to Levi. It was obvious he felt bad, which was more that could be said for anyone else who had ever hit on him like that here, and by the time Levi brought him his dessert parfait he’d nearly forgiven him.

“Ah.” He started though as Levi began to walk off again, in a tone that let him know he was about to say something else. It made him tense, and he frowned preemptively as he turned back around. “I think I recall you yelling something at me about how we had to spend a week together at mealtime, so I’d like to start over. If you don’t mind, I mean. My name is Erwin.”

Levi was silent for a moment, looking down his nose at the guy - Erwin - in his seat. He mulled over his words, wondering if this was some other roundabout way of hitting on him. He didn’t get that vibe this time though, and decided that Erwin was probably just trying to be nice after what he’d done.

“Fine.” Levi said. “I’m Levi, in case you forgot.”

Erwin smiled at him. “No, I hadn’t forgotten that part.”

For some reason that smile stuck with Levi for the rest of the day, until dinnertime when Erwin came back. He hadn’t come to lunch for whatever reason, but he was here now and dressed nicely like he was supposed to be, in a button down shirt and tie that made Levi do a double take. He was kind of hot, he found himself thinking, when he wasn’t drunk and acting like an asshole.

“I’m back.” He said when Levi approached, thanking him politely for the menu. “I’m sorry you have to see me again.”

“I told you, just don’t hit on me, and we’ll be fine. Tonight is mostly seafood, so I hope you aren’t allergic to shellfish.”

“I’m not.” Erwin said, his eyes scanning the options.

A second later and he’d decided on an appetizer of baked clams with a wine reduction sauce, and looked up to tell Levi with another gorgeous, breathtaking smile. At least that’s what Levi found himself thinking while Erwin gazed at him, until he suddenly looked behind him and it faded sharply. His eyes widened in alarm, and Levi didn’t miss the flash of near panic and confusion that crossed his face.

“What?” He said, looking over his shoulder to glimpse a man and a woman seating themselves a few tables away.

They were obviously a couple, and thinking about it, Levi didn’t remember seeing them in here until now. The man was plain and scraggly looking but the woman was stunningly beautiful, and after a second his eyebrows raised because she looked awfully familiar.

“That’s Marie Marshall.” He said, turning back around.

She was a celebrity, an actress that had famously played a bartender on some TV show Levi didn’t watch. He assumed that’s why Erwin was looking so surprised, but all he did at Levi’s words was look more upset.

“She’s my ex.” Erwin whispered, and Levi’s eyebrows raised so high they disappeared underneath his bangs.

“What? Are you fucking serious?”

“Yes.” Erwin mumbled, clearly trying to keep his voice low so she wouldn’t notice him. Levi leaned forward so he could hear him better. “Why is she here? With him? I came on this cruise to relax, of all places-”

“Wait, who’s the guy?”

“Nile Dawk. Her new boyfriend. She left me a few weeks ago for him, and-”

“She left a guy like _you_ for _him_?” Levi blurted before he could stop himself, thinking only of their looks. Erwin was handsome, and that Nile Dawk guy looked like a goat. He hadn’t meant to say that outloud though, and he almost sputtered as Erwin’s brows drew down in confusion, like he was trying to make sense of what Levi meant. “I mean, uh, it’s shit luck that they’re here too, and with an assigned table so close.”

Erwin swallowed, his gaze turning wistful and sad as he continued to stare at them. He was starting to look more pathetic by the minute.

“Oh no.” He said suddenly, though, looking away sharply with wide eyes. He bent and picked up the menu, as if he was trying to hide behind it. “They saw me. They’re looking over here, aren’t they?”

Levi stood up straight and looked over his shoulder as subtly as he could to see that, yes, the couple were indeed staring in Erwin’s direction. The guy didn’t look bothered but Marie Marshall’s face had drained of all color, and Levi bit his lip before turning back around.

“Yeah. She doesn’t look too happy.”

“What am I going to do?” Erwin said, his voice cracking.

He exhaled and closed his eyes, and when he opened them again they were shiny and filled with water. Was he about to fucking cry?

“Hey, look, just ignore them, okay?” Levi said, trying to figure out how to make Erwin feel better because he had no idea how to deal with an upset guest. Unfortunately, though, he wasn’t good at advice, and he couldn’t imagine what he would do if he was in the same mortifying situation as Erwin. “Don’t let them ruin your vacation. Don’t stay in your room or anything like that, because that means those bastards have won.”

Erwin nodded vaguely, his eyes unfocused as if he’d barely heard what Levi said. But then he blinked again and cleared his throat, and glanced up at him. “You’re right. It will be awkward and uncomfortable, but I paid all this money. I might as well enjoy it.”

“Yeah, and it’s a bigass ship. You might not even see them most of the time.”

Erwin thanked him and tried to smile after that, but it faltered, and he looked down and morose for the rest of the dinner. Levi felt bad for him even though he didn’t really know the details of his relationship with Marie. He’d been hurt - that much was obvious - and that must have been why he’d been so drunk the night before. He’d been trying to drown his sorrows and escape on this ship, only to get stuck here with the people who had fucked him up in the first place.

He felt enough empathy that when it was time for dessert, he brought Erwin two molten chocolate cakes instead of one. Chocolate usually cheered people up, right?

“You didn’t have to do that, Levi.” Erwin told him, looking down at his plate in surprise. “Especially after last night.”

“Whatever, it doesn’t matter. Its just...its kind of fucked up that she left you for another guy and she’s already going on vacation with him.”

“Isn’t it?” Erwin said then, with more conviction than Levi had seen him show all day. “Thank you!”

Levi’s sympathy and dessert seemed to make him feel a bit better, but by the next morning, he was back at breakfast looking worse than ever.

“Their room is right next to mine. I saw them going in after dinner. I heard them having sex.” He reported, looking forlornly down at the table.

“That’s fucked up.” Levi replied, because it was.

Erwin really did have the shittiest luck. It got even worse when Marie and Nile showed up a few minutes later, her loud, exaggerated peal of laughter echoing through the dining room and making Erwin cringe. Levi turned around to look at her, and noticed the way she kept side-eyeing Erwin every so often. He narrowed his eyes.

“If it makes you feel any better, her acting isn’t that great.” Levi said then, because he thought she was being pretty obvious about wanting to make Erwin feel bad.

The comment made Erwin chuckle, and when he spoke next, his voice had broken a little through it’s former passive and depressed sounding tone. “It is quite awful. It feels good to be able to say that now.”

“See, there you go. It’s not all bad, right?”

“Yes, okay.” Erwin said, nodding a bit at his words like he was trying to give himself a pep talk. “I’m fine.”

Levi didn’t think he sounded very convincing, but whatever. He served Erwin breakfast, and then lunch and dinner that day and for three days after. Erwin didn’t miss another meal despite the fact that he had to see his ex-girlfriend and her new man every single time, and Levi had to give him that. That’s what he’d told him to do, but honestly, Levi wasn’t sure if he would’ve been able to keep his own advice had he been in the same situation.

Erwin even began to perk up a bit over the next few days, Levi noticed, and was always ready for conversation with him. They talked about their lives and other random things, and Levi let Erwin vent about Marie and Nile whenever he needed to. Levi didn’t mind talking to him - he had quickly become his favorite guest of the cruise, which was ironic considering what had happened when they’d first met - and he realized on the morning of the fifth day that he had a bit of a crush on Erwin.

Not only was he extraordinarily attractive, he made him laugh and had a nice smile, and he was smart. Levi learned he was a writer and he’d met Marie when he worked on her show, but now he wrote novels. They’d dated for years and he’d proposed, and that’s when she’d dumped him. It’d been completely out of the blue, and Erwin didn’t have to tell him for Levi to know that he’d had a hard time getting over her.

The more he learned about Erwin though and about his former relationship, the more he wasn’t sure he liked Marie. It wasn’t nice of him because he didn’t know her or why she’d actually dumped him, but Erwin seemed like a kind, soft-hearted man, and Levi didn’t think he deserved the treatment he’d been given.

Besides, it was mighty suspicious to him that she’d ended up in another serious relationship only weeks after, suspicious enough for Levi to wonder if she’d been cheating on him with that guy. He didn’t know if Erwin thought that or not, but either way he wasn’t going to bring it up. So instead, he just gave him a sympathetic shoulder when he needed it, and tried to sneak him extra portions of dessert whenever he could.

On the fifth night at dinner, however, he unwittingly found a way to help him even more.

“I saw them at the pool.” Erwin was telling him, sipping his soup moodily. “They invited me to the magic show tonight.”

“Did you say yes?”

“I did.”

“Erwin, what the fuck?!”

“I know, I’m an idiot. They were just trying to be nice, I’m sure, and I didn’t know how to refuse.”

“You say ‘no, fuck off,’ that’s how.”

Erwin smiled a little at Levi’s words, laughing under his breath at him and turning his sparkling blue eyes upon his face. To his chagrin, it made Levi blush.

“Well, I have to go now. Although I really don’t want to.”

Levi understood why. One of the worst parts of his whole situation was that he was here alone while his ex was with her new boyfriend, smugly having a blast on a romantic couples’ vacation right in front of him. Now, he’d agreed to actually go somewhere with them, and was going to have to spend the entire night being an uncomfortable, melancholy third wheel.

Or maybe, he wouldn’t. Thinking about it, Levi suddenly had an idea.

“Hey, what time is the magic show? Isn’t it at like 10:30?”

“Yes, I believe so.”

“Uh.” Levi started, swallowing. “I get off at 10. I could go with you, if you want. Just so you don’t have to be alone with those assholes, or whatever.”

Erwin looked surprised for a minute. He stopped eating and glanced up at Levi, his eyes going wide as he spoke. “Really? That would be nice. Only if you don’t mind, though.”

“It’s not a big deal. I don’t have anything better to do. Although I’ve seen that shit 100 other times and I know the magician, and I know how he fakes all his tricks. I won’t be much fun.”

Again, Erwin laughed at him, his smile wider this time.

“That’s alright.” He said, sounding perkier than Levi had seen him all week. “I think I’ll enjoy your company very much, either way.”

That made Levi’s heart pound in his chest, a light, fluttery feeling sweeping through his stomach. Was Erwin hitting on him again? If he was, he found, this time he didn’t mind.

He thought about it for the rest of his night, and when he got off, he rushed back to his small cabin to shower quickly and change. Unfortunately, he knew the magic show was formal, and he didn’t really have any nice attire other than one white button down shirt. He threw that on with a pair of slacks, and kept the damn red bowtie on that he had to wear as part of his uniform.

It wouldn’t normally be his style for going out on a date, but he didn’t have a choice.

_Wait._ Why had he just called this a date?

Because he wanted it to be, he realized with a scowl. He liked Erwin more than he thought, apparently, but it was pointless. This wasn’t a date, and even if it was, Erwin was probably too hung up on his ex still to notice him anyway.

Despite those thoughts, he found himself feeling stupidly nervous as he walked towards Erwin’s room. He was going to meet him there like they'd planned, and when he walked up, he saw that Erwin was already standing outside his door looking just as handsome as he always did in a suit and tie.

“You look nice, Levi.” He told him, causing Levi to bite his lip.

“Uh, yeah, you too.” He said, feeling his ears warming up.

At that time Marie and Nile exited their room next to Erwin’s, both of them stopping and looking at Levi in confusion when they saw him.

“Ah, this is Levi.” Erwin said, introducing him. “I invited him to go with me. I hope you don’t mind.”

“Oh, not at all.” Marie answered in a strained tone, looking as if this outing was the last thing she wanted to do.

“Aren’t you just a waiter in the dining room?” Nile asked Levi, squinting at him while he stroked his spotty beard.

“Not right now, you-” Levi started, irritated by Nile’s implication that he shouldn’t be coming because of his job.

His insult was interrupted, however, by Erwin laughing loudly, placing a large, warm hand on Levi’s shoulder that made him freeze.

“Let’s go, or we’re going to be late.” He said, and Marie nodded while Nile shrugged.

They started walking ahead of them down the hallway, and Marie grabbed Nile’s hand a second later. Levi side-eyed Erwin automatically and noticed him looking with a frown, and reacted on a whim before he could stop himself: he took Erwin’s hand too.

Suddenly, he felt very defensive of him, and even if Erwin wasn’t interested in him like Levi was, he didn’t mind supporting him through this and making it seem as if he wasn’t alone.

Erwin’s reaction was one of surprise, of course, but only for a moment. He looked at where their fingers were entwined and then into Levi’s face, blinking before he gave him a grateful smile. Then he squeezed his hand, and Levi had to look away.

After a brief walk they found themselves outside the room where the magic show was held, standing in line to give the worker their tickets. Levi didn’t have one and instead flashed his employee badge, and once inside they took their assigned seats. Of course, poor Erwin ended up sitting right next to Marie no matter how much Levi tried to maneuver between them, so he ended up with Erwin's thigh pressing against his as he scooted as far away from her as he could in his chair.

He didn't mind so he didn't move, but when Nile put his arm around Marie and she leaned into him, he again reached out to take Erwin's hand.

"Oh, are you two...?" Marie asked, raising a perfectly manicured eyebrow as she noticed their fingers intertwining.

"Fucking? Yeah." Levi blurted before Erwin could respond. "It's great too."

Levi didn't know where the words came from, but to Erwin's credit, he kept a completely straight face.

"Oh. Well, that's...nice." Marie said, her face scrunching up into something that betrayed her words.

She stared at Erwin and then at Levi for a moment, and then turned back to Nile before speaking in a loud voice.

"Nile, you know what we should try after this? The hot tubs. Doesn't that sound romantic? Maybe there won't be anyone there and we can get in naked."

"Uh...I don’t know, isn’t that a public place?" Nile answered her, clearly oblivious to what she was trying to do.

Levi, on the hand hand, was not. She was jealous, threatened by Levi who as far as she knew was fucking her ex-boyfriend, and in order to compensate was obnoxiously throwing her new relationship in Erwin's face. It made him scowl because it was a shitty thing to do, but also because it told him Marie still had some feelings for Erwin. If she didn't, why would she care who he was with now?

"Yeah, and exposing yourself is against the rules, you know." Levi said from beside Erwin, who was shifting uncomfortably. "But Erwin, after this, why don't I take you down to my room in the crew's deck? I have my own private balcony. I bet your cock looks great in the moonlight."

On the other end of their row, Nile laughed. Marie stiffened next to him, and Erwin's eyes went a little wide. Surely he knew what Levi was trying to do for him by now, but it made him wonder if he’d gone too far, especially since Erwin had yet to play along really. If he didn't, there was only so much Levi could do and the entire charade would fall apart. Luckily, though, he cleared his throat a second later and smiled.

"That would be lovely, Levi." He said, looking over at him.

His smile looked genuine and his eyes were full of amusement, and Levi couldn't help but wish they weren't playing a game and he meant it.

After that, the magic show started and Marie couldn’t loudly exaggerate how happy and content she was in her new relationship anymore. Verbally, at least. It was only twenty minutes into it when Levi became aware of her and Nile furiously making out like two over excited teenagers in the seats next to them, and it was sickening enough to even make him cringe.

He felt a fresh pang of pity go through him for Erwin, whose strained and somewhat annoyed expression made him look like he was constipated.

“Want me to get the guard?” Levi whispered, elbowing him to get his attention.

Erwin shook his head. “Don’t worry about it.”

Levi shrugged. He was almost tempted to do it anyway, because regardless of their situation it was still disgusting and rude to the other guests. He wondered why Marie and Nile had even invited Erwin to go out with them if they were just going to act like this, but his thoughts were interrupted when he suddenly felt Erwin’s arm slide around his shoulders.

He leaned into him so quickly that he started mentally scolding himself, because even though he knew Erwin was just going along with their game, he liked the way it felt. Erwin was warm, and he smelled good, and he certainly wouldn’t mind doing to him what Marie was currently doing to Nile right now: rubbing her hand all over his crotch.

“For fuck’s sake!” Levi hissed loudly enough for them to hear when he noticed, clearing his throat and causing Marie to jump away from Nile in a panic. “I’m trying to watch the show, and some guy getting a fake boner from his little blue pills doesn’t count as a magic trick.”

Beside him, Erwin laughed, a loud peal of it that sounded more genuine than any Levi had heard from him all week. He was clearly amused and it made Levi feel good, as did Marie’s scornful glare and Nile’s sheepish, embarrassed expression.

Their reprieve only lasted a few minutes though before Marie started kissing Nile again, and Levi sighed. Erwin was completely unable to pay attention to what was happening on stage and clearly not enjoying himself, and neither was he. It was a shame because he was on vacation, but he'd been subjected to shit like this the entire time. It made Levi feel bad again because if he was being honest, there were much better things to do on this ship.

"Hey, Erwin." He whispered, reaching up with one hand to grasp the arm that was thrown over his shoulders. Suddenly, he'd had another idea. "Want to get out of here?"

"I was hoping you were going to ask me that." Erwin said, shifting to get up out of his seat as soon as he'd started speaking.

He had to cross in front of Marie and Nile to exit the row, and Levi almost smirked when he did so rather rudely without saying excuse me. When they looked at them curiously, he couldn't help but make a suggestive, lewd gesture insinuating something about him and Erwin with both hands. Marie made a face and Levi managed to look smug, and seconds later they were outside the theatre and heading towards the nearest deck. Erwin probably needed some fresh air, and Levi didn't blame him.

"Want a drink?" Levi asked him when he leaned against the railing, running a hand through his blonde hair as if he was trying to relieve himself of any lingering tension.

At Levi's words, though, he gave an amused chuckle. "I never thought you'd be offering me alcohol after what happened the first night."

Levi blinked. For a moment he was unsure of what Erwin was talking about, but then he remembered how he'd drunkenly hit on him when they'd first met and asked if Levi's ass was on the menu. It had only been a few days, but it seemed like so much had happened since then - enough for Levi to realize it had only been the alcohol talking that night and not Erwin.

Although, reminiscing about it, he didn't think he'd mind hearing Erwin call him kitten again now.

The thought made him frown because he knew he'd gotten himself into a mess, but whatever. In a few days Erwin would be gone and he could forget all about this shit, because he'd never see him again, right?

"You really like playing up the pitiful bastard card, don't you?" Levi teased him a moment later, forcing himself to swallow all his negative thoughts. "I wouldn't have offered if I was still thinking about that shit."

“Alright. How about a daiquiri?”

Levi disappeared to the nearest bar and came back with two daiquiris, one for him and one for Erwin. Erwin thanked him with a smile and took the drink, and together they started walking down the deck. They were in the tropics but there was a cool breeze blowing over the ship as it sailed silently through the water, and the frozen drink gave Levi a light shiver.

He rubbed at his arm subconsciously in an effort to keep himself warm, and Erwin noticed after a moment, stopping to set his drink down so he could shrug his jacket off.

“Here.” He said, dumping it over Levi’s shoulders before he could even protest.

He still opened his mouth to do so, but then stopped and looked away because he was starting to flush.

_God dammit._ He thought. Erwin was likely just being polite, but he wasn’t making it any easier for Levi to deal with his stupid crush.

“So, what do you do for fun around here?” Erwin asked him then, glancing away from Levi and out towards the ocean as if he sensed he was a bit embarrassed. “I can imagine it might get quite boring after a while with nowhere to go.”

“Yeah, but mostly I just work. My shifts are 12 hours each the whole week.”

At that, Erwin’s brows drew down a bit. “That must be tiring. You didn’t have to come out if you-”

“It doesn’t matter.” Levi interrupted, continuing to walk down the deck. “I have next week off anyway. That’s how it works.”

“I see.”

Erwin followed him and they were silent for a moment, as he continued to look out towards the ocean. It was bright out with a full moon, and the skies were clear and full of stars. All in all it was a nice night despite the slight chill, and Erwin’s interest in the view suddenly gave Levi another bright idea.

“Have you been on the Star yet?”

“The what?”

“The Star. Its that bigass thing.”

As he spoke, Levi pointed towards the front of the ship where a long, metal arm was anchored to the top of the tallest platform. It stuck out over the ocean like a crane, and on the end of it was a round, glass pod that passengers could ride in to be taken out over the water.

“Oh, so that’s what that is.” Erwin said, cocking his head and looking at it with interest. “I haven’t. Is it still open?”

“It doesn’t run at night, but I can probably find someone to let us on.”

Erwin opened his mouth as if he was going to protest again, but seeming to sense it was futile he closed it. “That would be nice. Thank you.”

After that, it was only a quick phone call using one of the crew’s special telephone stations to his friend Farlan, who sometimes ran the ride. Farlan owed him a favor, and he agreed to come out and meet them in a few minutes. By the time they walked there he was already outside, and he gave Levi a weird look when he saw Erwin’s jacket over his shoulders before eyeing him too.

“Are you fraternizing with guests, now?” Farlan asked, clearly poking fun.

“Fuck off.” Levi replied. “I know him.”

Farlan just chuckled and opened the ride’s door, and Levi ushered Erwin inside. Within seconds it was closed and they were being lifted into the air, and they both moved to stand in front of the glass so they could see better.

For all the years that he had worked here Levi had only been on this thing once before, but he had to admit it wasn’t bad. It slowly lifted them out over the ship and high over the ocean, and with the moon and stars as bright as they were they could see the sparkling waves beneath them quite clearly.

Once the arm of the ride stretched out as far as it could, it began to move forward towards the front of the ship. Eventually it would go all the way around to the right too, giving them a full 180 degree panorama of the ocean, but not after stopping for a few minutes when it was hanging out above the very front of the ship.

Levi looked out at the sky for a moment and then at Erwin, who was staring at the constellations intently. Neither one of them had said a word since the ride had started, but the silence between them was comfortable and warm. After a minute, though, Erwin suddenly shifted, and reached out to take Levi’s hand again.

It caused his eyes to widen as he looked back over at him in surprise, and then away again quickly when he saw that Erwin was still staring out the window. Levi wondered what he was doing. Nile and Marie weren’t here, there was no need for him to keep up the pretense that they were in some kind of relationship, so why was he holding his hand? Regardless, Levi couldn’t bring himself to let go, and instead wound their fingers together while averting his gaze so that Erwin wouldn’t see how pink his cheeks were getting.

Not long after that, the ride started moving again, and Erwin finally spoke.

“You didn’t have to do all of this for me, Levi.” He said, sweeping his arm out, indicating to him that he meant everything that’d happened that night: Levi offering to accompany him on the outing and sticking up for him, and taking him on the ride after helping him get out of his shitty situation. “But thank you.”

“It’s not a big deal.” Levi mumbled, scowling because Erwin’s words were making his heart flutter.

Erwin chuckled, squeezing his hand once. “Well, it is to me. Do you mind if I ask why?”

_Shit._ Levi thought, biting his lip. _Because I like you, bastard._

That was the answer, but he wasn’t sure if he could say it outloud, so instead he just shrugged and stared out the window.

“Because I wanted to, okay? I didn’t want you to have a shitty vacation.”

“I was.” Erwin smiled down at him. “At first, I wished I hadn’t come. But now I’m glad I did.”

At that, Levi’s heart started pounding so quickly he was ludicrously afraid for one second that Erwin might hear it. What did he mean? Was it because of him? Was that why he was still holding his hand now, when there was no reason for it? What if he’d been playing along with their game not because of Marie, but because he liked Levi too?

It all seemed too good to be true, because Levi thought it was pretty obvious he still wasn’t over his ex. He could always be wrong though, and the thought stuck with him after they got off the ride and he walked with Erwin back towards his cabin. He didn’t know why he was following him because clearly their night was over and he should probably say goodnight to him above deck, but he found himself thinking about his feelings and how tomorrow was the last day of the cruise.

After that, he would probably never see Erwin again, and he’d become just one more out of the thousands of guests he’d served and then forgotten about. Except, he didn’t think he’d be able to forget about him, and he didn’t know if wanted to let him leave without trying anything. If he was rejected it would suck, sure, but did he really have anything to lose?

His train of thought trailed off when they reached Erwin’s cabin and saw that, of course, Nile and Marie were standing outside while Marie fished for their room key in her purse. When she saw them her expression dropped, and Levi’s eyes immediately snapped to Erwin. He didn’t falter though, just kept walking to pause in front of them.

“How was the rest of the show?” He said, addressing them nicely as if they hadn’t made half of his night and his vacation miserable.

“Fine.” Marie answered, finally locating her key and handing it to Nile.

“Did you actually watch any of it, or were you too busy trying to eat his face?” Levi couldn’t help but ask, much to Erwin’s amusement.

He chuckled and Marie huffed in irritation, shoving Nile through the door once he opened it.

“Goodnight!” Erwin called in a mock cheerful voice, approaching his own room after they’d slammed the door in his face. He turned to face Levi who had followed him, and opened his mouth to speak again. “Well-”

He was cut off by Levi, who had made up his mind about what he was going to do in the past few minutes and grabbed at the front of Erwin’s shirt. He paused for a moment while Erwin stared at him in surprise, and swallowed nervously before he closed his eyes and shoved himself up onto his tiptoes to kiss him.

For a split second Erwin didn’t respond, and Levi both heard and felt the sharp, surprised inhale of breath he took through his nose. Then he moved his arms up and Levi was afraid it was going to be to push him away, but instead, he grabbed at his shoulders to steady him and started kissing him back.

Levi practically threw his arms around his neck in relief and longing, melting into the kiss as soon as Erwin responded. His lips were warm and soft, and he suddenly felt so giddy that this was actually happening that he felt lightheaded, anticipation and excitement pounding through his veins. He kissed him hard before he could even think about it, slipping his tongue inside to taste him when Erwin opened his mouth, but no sooner had it started to get really heated than Erwin pulled away.

“Levi, are you sure you want to be doing this, I’m-”

“You’re what? Still in love with your ex?” Levi blurted, scowling and beginning to get a sinking feeling again.

“No, I’m not. I glad its over now, and it’s because of you. I like you, Levi, it’s just...well, tomorrow is my last day, and-”

“I know that. We’ll worry about it later. Now shut up and unlock the door so I can get you out of these damn clothes.”

Erwin did not protest again. Instead he turned around, shoved his hand into his pocket for his room key, and slid it into the door as quickly as he could. Once they were inside and it had shut behind them they were kissing again, stumbling their way backwards towards the bed while Levi pushed Erwin’s jacket off his shoulders.

By the time the back of Erwin’s knees bumped the mattress and he sat down he was half out of his shirt, and Levi had slipped out of his shoes and socks and pants before climbing into his lap. He straddled him and pressed their lips together again, angling his head to the side as they kissed, sweeping his tongue against Erwin’s again and tasting every corner of his mouth that he could reach. They were both panting before long as Levi’s hands busied themselves unbuttoning Erwin’s shirt, and then moved into his pants to grasp his cock after he’d undone those buckles too.

“Damn, you’re big.” He breathed hoarsely, looking down his cheeks into Erwin’s eyes. They were bright, lidded, the blue contrasting beautifully against the red flush across his face. “I kind of want this in my ass, but I think I’d like to fuck you more.”

"Please." Erwin croaked, in a desperate sounding tone that had Levi nearly falling backwards in his effort to climb off him.

They quickly shed themselves of the rest of their clothing, and Levi crawled back onto the bed between Erwin’s legs when he settled against the pillows. He stared at him, licking his lips and placing two hands on each of his thighs while his eyes roved over him. He’d thought Erwin had been attractive before, of course, but seeing him naked like this, lying on his back and spread out so welcomingly beneath him, was a sight that almost took his breath away.

He was made up of long limbs and enough defined muscle to make him look athletic and powerful, and it caused Levi’s mouth to water to think that he was willing to let Levi fuck him when it could just as easily be the other way around. All in all, he looked delectable like this with his tousled hair and lusty expression, and apparently Erwin was just as busy thinking similar thoughts about him too.

“Wow.” He breathed, causing Levi’s eyes to snap up towards his. “You look amazing, Levi.”

“Tch. You should talk. I still can’t believe you got dumped for that scrawny creep. He looks like he doesn’t shower. And I seriously fucking doubt his cock is this big.”

While speaking about Erwin’s length, Levi couldn’t help but lower his gaze to it again. He wrapped a hand around it and thumbed at the head while Erwin laughed, an airy sound that turned into a gasp, and then he was sitting up, reaching for Levi and pulling him forward for another kiss.

Levi leaned over him without hesitation, meeting his lips again and running his hands up his sides, feeling the solid warmth of his skin and the muscles underneath. He nearly groaned into Erwin’s mouth when he spread his legs for him and his hips bumped up against his balls, his imagination immediately supplying him with plenty of images about what it was going to be like to be inside him later.

“You have lube, right?” Levi mumbled, pulling away to look into Erwin’s eyes. “I know you’ve had a sad jerk-off in here at least once.”

“Yes, its in the drawer. And maybe once. But then the next time I just thought about you.”

That made Levi’s eyes widen, the jolt of arousal that went through him so strong at the image that his belly tightened.

_“Fuck.”_ He blurted, all but diving for the drawer in the table next to Erwin’s bed.

He jerked it open and saw what he was looking for, and hastily popped the cap off of the bottle as he grabbed it. Then he was kneeling on his heels in front of Erwin again, between his legs which he’d spread wider to make room.

He’d bent his knees too which gave Levi quite the mouthwatering view, and sat up on his elbows so he could watch Levi with a heated interest while he slicked up his fingers. Then his lips were parting to let out a soft exhale when Levi pushed one inside his ass, breaching him gently and placing his other hand on Erwin's hip to steady himself. He was tight but it slipped in easy all the way to the knuckle, and as soon as Erwin began shifting his hips himself he started working in a second finger.

This time Erwin groaned lightly and froze, and Levi immediately followed suit. He stilled his hand and rubbed at Erwin's thigh, and tore his eyes away from what he was doing to glance up at his face.

"You okay?" He murmured, pushing his fingers in a little deeper when Erwin nodded.

"Yes." He said, a slight smile on his lips. "It's just been a while since I've done this."

"What, had sex with a man? Or do you mean Marie Marshall never stuck a dildo up your ass?"

Erwin let out a breathy laugh that turned into a moan when he reached with one hand to grab his cock, wrapping his fingers around the thick shaft to tug at himself gently.

"Both." He said, his eyes on what was happening between his legs. Jerking himself off helped him relax more, enough so that Levi managed to slip the remainder of both his fingers in. "Unfortunately. I forgot how good it feels."

Levi bit his lip at that, somehow able to focus on what he was doing through the fog of lust and anticipation that was clouding his brain. He forced himself to concentrate and to ignore the ache in his own cock, stretching Erwin as gently as he could, massaging his perineum with his thumb when he scissored his fingers inside him and Erwin gasped.

"Ready for more?" He asked a moment later, once he was able to slide the two digits in and out of him with ease.  

He felt loose enough and seemed like he could take it, but Levi wanted to be sure. He was impatient, but he found himself wanting to make Erwin feel as good as possible after what he'd been through, and since he didn't know whether he was going to see him again or not either, why not try to make it as memorable for the both of them as he could?

"Yes." Erwin said, the words practically a hiss when Levi crooked his fingers in exactly the right spot. "Levi-"

The way he breathed his name made Levi nearly groan in his throat himself, but he held it back in favor of adding more lube and the tip of a third finger into Erwin’s ass. It took him some time, but eventually he was able to make them all fit. Eventually, he had Erwin’s thighs trembling and his hips rocking forward eagerly into his hand, gasping and arching for more whenever Levi would twist his fingertips in exactly the right way.

By then there was a sheen of sweat covering his abs and chest, glistening whenever his stomach tightened each time his hand ran over his cock. He was still stroking himself, albeit slowly, his eyes fluttering open and closed with each and every pull. He looked like he was close to losing himself already, but after a moment his blue gaze fixed on Levi’s face again and he opened his mouth.

“Levi.” He said, the word a plea on his lips.

It was all he needed to utter before Levi was removing his fingers and running them over his own length, making himself ready with the lube before he was finally pressing in with a sigh. His hands rested on Erwin’s waist to anchor himself as he tried to go slow, tried to keep his eyes on Erwin’s face so he could see how he was doing despite how much he wanted to bury himself completely into the enveloping, tight heat.

Erwin seemed fine, though, Levi saw as he watched. From the very first push his eyes fluttered closed and he laid his head back, his mouth dropping open in a silent expression of pleasure. It was echoed when he canted his hips up invitingly a few moments later and Levi slid in a few more inches just like that, and all in all, the sight was probably one of the most erotic things he’d ever seen. When he finally bottomed out it was made even more so, because Erwin let out what could only be described as a deep groan of satisfaction.

At that point, Levi could not help but stop - both to try and get his bearings, to think through the nearly dizzying arousal and pleasure pumping through his veins, and to commit the sight beneath him to memory. When he did so Erwin opened his eyes and lifted his head to look up at him, his expression an adorable mix of confusion and bliss as if he was about to ask Levi why he’d stopped moving.

“Alright?” Levi breathed in way of explanation, even though the question seemed ludicrous while staring down at Erwin’s pliant, welcoming body.

Erwin nodded at his question and clenched around him, shifting and licking his lips when Levi visibly bit back a groan. “What are you waiting for?”

The sound Levi held back fell from his throat then, when he rolled his hips in a slow, shallow thrust. It drew a low moan from Erwin too, and after that, they easily fell into a steady, lazy rhythm, with Erwin lifting himself up to meet Levi every time he pressed in. Despite how much they both wanted this they weren’t in any hurry, and Levi took his time running his hands all over Erwin’s sides while he moved, gripping his thighs when he raised them to hug his waist and watching how his big cock bounced healthily between his legs when he started to go faster.

It was then when Levi shifted, leaning over Erwin to meet his raised head for a kiss, grinding into him a little roughly and swallowing his breathy gasp. Erwin reached up to grip his neck and he started to go faster, leaving his sweaty forehead pressed against Erwin’s cheek and closing his eyes until suddenly, he heard a sound that made him stop and flinch in surprise.

It was a dull, thudding sound, like something had hit the wall in the room next to them. It was followed by what was unmistakably a woman’s loud moan, and immediately Levi knew what was happening.

Marie Marshall and Nile Dawk were having sex too.

For a second, he felt irritated, because couldn’t he fuck Erwin without his ex interrupting everything? But then he thought about how he might feel, and sat up again so he could look down at him, a flash of worry suddenly going through him that it might ruin their time here. Erwin looked just as annoyed as he felt though, cringing when they heard another sound that had to be exaggerated.

Had they been being that loud? Levi didn’t think so, but either way, the noises gave him an idea.

Pulling out, he grabbed at Erwin’s legs, lifting one up as if he was going to turn him over. Erwin got the hint and shifted until he was lying on his stomach, bending his knees underneath him enough for him to angle his ass up into the air. He looked over his shoulder coyly and watched as Levi guided himself back in, the sensation of it causing twin groans to fall from between both their lips at the same time.

Levi didn’t try to muffle his at all, and bringing his hands down to spread Erwin’s ass, he didn’t waste any time before he started pounding his hips into him a little harder.

“Come on, big guy.” He gasped, squeezing the ample flesh beneath his fingers and watching Erwin’s head drop down. “If it feels good, let those bastards hear you.”

For a moment, he wondered if Erwin would protest. Instead, though, he let out a breathy laugh, one that turned into another moan when Levi angled his next thrust just right. He didn’t quiet it, and before long his deep voice was ringing out around the room in breathy sounds of ecstasy, drowning out whatever was happening next door and the skin slapping on skin noises that were starting to come from how hard Levi was fucking his ass.

He was slamming into him before long, holding him open so he could watch himself slide in and out, his brows drawn down in concentration and his tongue poking out of his mouth as he fought to control his rhythm. Erwin's pleased sounds drove him on, letting him know when he was striking exactly the right spot so he could keep hammering into it.

He wanted Erwin to come first, was determined to make him do it, but the pleasure that was starting to build hotly in his belly and thighs with each thrust threatened to fault him. Reaching around, he moved to grab at Erwin’s cock so he could jerk him off but found his own hand already there. It made his hips stutter slightly and he bit at his lip, sliding his hand up to pinch at one of Erwin’s nipples instead.

_“Levi!”_ He moaned at that, stilling from where he’d been rocking back against him eagerly and burying his face into the mattress.

Apparently, that had been enough to get him over the edge, because a visible shudder ran through him and his thighs trembled, and when Levi slipped his hand back down to brush fingers across his stomach it came away covered in white, sticky fluid. Erwin had come, and now that he was sure, Levi could finally let go of the last sliver of control he was holding on to.

Grabbing at Erwin’s hips, he held him still, grunting when Erwin clenched around his cock as he began rolling his hips quickly, each thrust growing more desperate and reaching until his movements grew erratic. He fucked him as hard as he could, his mouth hanging open and his eyes squeezed shut, and like that, it barely took him another few minutes before a low whine stuck in his throat. Finally, after a few more deep thrusts, he buried himself one last time inside Erwin and released.

Pleasure filled nearly every inch of his body immediately, taking his breath away as it rocked through him for a few intense, but short, seconds. Then he was gasping, leaning forward to wrap arms around Erwin’s waist so he could kiss his back, pulling out a few moments later to roll over next to him.

Erwin shifted too, twisting his head around so that he could press his mouth to Levi’s in a lazy, wet kiss, the movements of their lips sloppy as they fought to breathe between them. When he broke away, his face was inches from Levi’s, his blue eyes clear and wide and looking out at him from ruddy cheeks and damp, tangled blonde hair.

“Levi, that was..."

"Good?" Levi panted when Erwin trailed off, a half smile present on his lips at the thought that he might have fucked Erwin into speechlessness.

"Yes." Erwin chuckled. "But I was going to say just what I needed."

That answer was just as satisfactory as any other, and he felt a little bit of pride swell in his chest at the thought.

"Thank you." Erwin told him, leaning over to kiss him again. "For everything."

  
  
  
  
  


Four days later, Levi found himself departing on another trip - this one by land, four hours inland to the small city where Erwin lived.

After their night together, they’d spent as much time as they could the next day in each other’s company knowing that after that, they would have to part. However, it turned out that they’d somehow grown too fond of each other in just the short span of one week to let it just end like that, and with the knowledge that Levi had the next seven days off, Erwin had invited him to come visit him.

Of course he’d said yes; it wasn’t like he had anything better to do, and well, he wasn’t about to let this opportunity go to waste. He never would’ve imagined that after meeting Erwin that first night it would’ve turned out like this, and even after getting to know him, he’d been sure that he didn’t have a chance because Erwin seemed so hooked on his ex.

He’d been wrong about that, or he’d thought he had, anyway, because when he finally arrived at Erwin’s house there was a shiny, expensive looking sports car parked in his driveway. He narrowed his eyes at it because it gave him a bad feeling, and sure enough when he got out of his own car, he heard an unmistakable voice coming through an open window.

It was Marie Marshall, but he couldn’t make out what she was saying. It didn’t matter though because a second later and the front door was flung open, and a tearful looking Marie strode out and past Levi down the sidewalk. She looked angry, but what the hell was she doing here?

Levi got his answer a second later when Erwin appeared at the door, a tense, frustrated look on his face that only melted away when he saw him.

“Levi.” He said, as Marie climbed into her car behind them and sped away, peeling out at the end of the street. “I’m sorry, she-”

“What happened?” He demanded.

It didn’t look like anything bad, but still, he wanted to know, wanted to be sure that he hadn’t come all this way for nothing.

“She wanted me back. She said she missed me, and seeing me with someone else last week made her realize she’d made a mistake. But I told her no.”

“You turned her down?” Levi said, swallowing, unable to keep the hopeful lilt out of his voice.

“Yes, Levi.” Erwin said. He smiled at him, and walked forward until he could reach down to cup his face. “Because I want you.”

Levi angled his face up towards him, parting his lips ahead of time for the kiss that was sure to come.

“Good.” He said, grabbing at the front of Erwin’s shirt. “I want you too.”


End file.
